2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jayjohn
A surname derived from combining the given names Jay and John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Jayjohn. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jayjohn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Jayjohn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jayjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jayjohn
The surname JAYJOHN is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Norfolk, where it was likely a locational name derived from a now-lost place name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from 1327, which mention a John Jayjohn. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or a patronymic, possibly referring to the son of someone named Jay or Jacob.
During the medieval period, the name appears to have been concentrated in the eastern counties of England, particularly Norfolk and Suffolk. It is possible that the name was influenced by the Old English word "gæg," meaning "cuckoo," which could have been used as a nickname for someone with a distinctive voice or call.
In the 16th century, the JAYJOHN name can be found in the parish records of Great Yarmouth, where a Thomas Jayjohn was baptized in 1587. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of East Anglia by that time.
One notable bearer of the JAYJOHN surname was William Jayjohn, a merchant and ship owner from King's Lynn, who lived from 1625 to 1698. He was involved in the Baltic trade and played a significant role in the economic life of the town.
Another individual of note was Reverend John JAYJOHN (1710-1782), a Church of England clergyman who served as the rector of St. Peter's Church in Lowestoft for over three decades.
In the 19th century, the JAYJOHN name appears to have spread more widely across England, with records showing families in various counties, including Yorkshire and Lancashire.
One prominent figure from this period was Sir Edward JAYJOHN (1842-1917), a businessman and Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the borough of Sunderland from 1895 to 1906.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Sir Arthur JAYJOHN (1879-1959), a distinguished military officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jayjohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Jayjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Jayjohn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jayjohn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jayjohn
Jayjohn appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,507 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,507 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,409 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jayjohn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #131,379 | #142,788 | -8.7% |
| Count | 129 | 119 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jayjohn bearers went from 129 to 119 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,409 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #142,788.
FAQ
Jayjohn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jayjohn?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Jayjohn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Jayjohn?
Jayjohn ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Jayjohn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jayjohn.
Has Jayjohn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jayjohn went from 129 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Jayjohn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jayjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jayjohn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jayjohn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (7.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jayjohn (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jayjohn mean?
A surname derived from combining the given names Jay and John. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jayjohn (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Jayjohn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Jayjohn at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.